For Immediate Release
Monday, May 3, 2021
NSIC Media Relations

NSIC Men's Track Athlete of the Week
Kornelius Klah (Hurdles, Sr. Philadelphia, Pa. / Pennsbury HS) - Minnesota State
- Won the 110m hurdles with a NCAA automatic qualifying time of 13.88 at the NSIC & Friends Outdoor Challenge
- Ranks as the third best time in the nation this season
- Finished first in the 400m hurdles with a NCAA provisional time of 53.12
- Ranks 22nd best in the nation in the 400m hurdles this season
- Named NSIC Track Athlete of the Week for the third time this season (4/6/21 & 4/12/21)

NSIC Men's Field Athlete of the Week
Tanner Berg (Throws, Sr., Watertown, S.D. / Watertown HS) - Northern State
- Won the hammer throw at the WSC Wildcat Challenge with a NCAA automatic qualifying mark of 225-1 (68.60m)
- Broke his own school record in the event by nearly ten feet
- Holds the third best throw in the nation in the event
- Added fourth and fifth place finishes in the shot put (15.90m) and discus (47.50m)
- Named NSIC Field Athlete of the Week for the second time this season (4/19/21)

Other Top Track Performances
Austin Miller (AUGIE) won the metric mile at the GVSU Extra Weekend Meet besting second place by over a second to run a provisional qualifying 3:45.58. His time ranks him 20th in the nation and also breaks the school record by almost three seconds.

Ben Palmquist (UMD) ran a time of 14.61 in the 110-meter hurdles at the Bulldog Open this past Thursday. The 14.61 stands as the third fastest time in the 110-meter hurdles ran in the NSIC this 2021 outdoor season, it is also just a tenth of a second off of a NCAA DII provisional qualifying time. Palmquist now sits third all-time in UMD Men’s Track and Field History in the 110-meter hurdles.

Steven Brown (UMARY) set a new UMary record in the 5000 meter run at the Grand Valley State Extra Weekend Meet. Brown was clocked in an NCAA provisional qualifying mark of 14:20.60 to beat the previous school record by over 17 seconds, set by Derek Myers in 2017. Racing in an incredibly fast field featuring several NCAA Division I and unattached runners, Brown finished 28th overall. Ahead of Brown was 10 NCAA DI and unattached athletes. Of the 65 runners that completed the race, 25 posted NCAA automatic or provisional times.

Nadir Yusuf (MSUM) won the 5K at Ron Masanz Classic with a winning time of 14:44.90, the 8th best time in NSIC this season.

Seth Martens (NSU) won the 400m at the WSC Wildcat Challenge with a time of 49.14. He was also the anchor leg of the winning 4x400m relay team that finished in 3:23.72. He ranks fourth in the 400m in the NSIC.

Other Top Field Performances
Mathias Kollberg (AUGIE) won the long jump at the NSIC Outdoor Challenge in school-record fashion jumping a provisional mark of 25 feet. The previous school recorded stood for 39 years being one of the oldest in school history. His jump leaps him tied for sixth in the nation and the second freshman within the top-six marks.

Marcus Gustaveson (CSP) won the discus with an NCAA DII automatic qualifying distance of 58.06m at the NSIC Outdoor Challenge. Finished fifth in the shot put with a provisional qualifying mark of 16.43m. The senior ranks first in the NSIC in both events, second in NCAA DII in the discus, and 20th in the shot put from previous performances this season. 

Deveyonn Brown (MSU) finished first in the high jump with an automatic qualifying clear of 2.14m (7-0.25) which is currently tied for the third best leap in the nation this season.

Chris Cook (MSUM) won the high jump at the Ron Masanz Classic with a NCAA automatic qualifying jump of 2.14m (7-0.25) which is tied for third best in nation this season.

Leif Nelson (MINOT)  won the men’s javelin at the Ron Masanz Classic with a throw of 61.27m to reach a provisional NCAA qualifying mark for the Minot State men’s track and field team.

McKallen Smith (SMSU) had a big day in the high jump at the NSIC & Friends Outdoor Challenge on Saturday placing second with a school record mark 2.08m. The mark ranks as the 14th highest in Division II this season.
 
Men's Outdoor Track & Field Athletes of the Week
3/29/21
T: Benjamin Allen - Concordia-St. Paul
F: Marcus Gustaveson - Concordia-St. Paul
4/6/21
T: Kornelius Klah  - Minnesota State
F: Marcus Gustaveson - Concordia-St. Paul (2)
4/12/21
T: Kornelius Klah  - Minnesota State (2)
F: Marcus Gustaveson - Concordia-St. Paul (3)
4/19/21
T: Austin Miller - Augustana
F: Tanner Berg - Northern State
4/26/21
T: Nadir Yusuf - MSU Moorhead 
F: Marcus Gustaveson - Concordia-St. Paul (4)
5/3/21
T: Kornelius Klah  - Minnesota State (3)
F: Tanner Berg - Northern State (2)

About the NSIC
The NSIC is a 16-team, 18-sport, NCAA Division II conference with institutions located in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The NSIC is a model Division II conference that uses high-level athletics competition to develop champions in the classroom and community while empowering student-athletes to be impactful and positive leaders. Formed in 1992 by the merger of the Northern Intercollegiate Conference (men’s league) and the Northern Sun Conference (women’s league), the NSIC has flourished over the past quarter century, maturing into a 16-team union of Upper Midwest colleges and universities. The NSIC has won 23 team national championships and crowned 77 individual national champions. For additional information, visit NorthernSun.org.

About NCAA Division II
The NCAA, the national governing body for college athletics, is a volunteer association of more than 1,000 colleges and universities that classify their athletics programs in one of three membership divisions. The 300+ institutions in NCAA Division II support a balanced approach in which student-athletes have the opportunity to earn scholarships based on their athletic ability, pursue their desired academic degree, and participate in all the campus and surrounding community have to offer. Division II student-athletes annually graduate at rates higher than their student body peers, and they have access to the best championships-participant ratio among the NCAA’s three divisions. Division II gives student-athletes the unique opportunity to compete in the classroom, on the field, in their career, for their causes, and on their terms. For additional information, visit NCAA.org.